Chapter 26 #2
Trying to get closer to his friend, Hades attempted to advance but was only able to move one step forward.
He remained trapped while stone covered his body, beginning with his legs, advancing up to his chest, and eventually consuming him—along with Artemis too.
Zeus fixed his gaze on them, ensuring they turned into stone, aware that his aegis would be less effective against deities than it was against mortals.
He only had a matter of minutes until they would come back to their original form.
Shadow shifted his attention to Charisma, fearing she had been turned into stone as well. He observed that she had not been touched by Zeus’s aegis. Instead, she was gripping the staff even tighter, the realization of what was about to happen hitting her like a tidal wave.
Of course you are protected, my fylachtó. The last remains of power you had taken from the staff are making you immune to other spells.
And you, basileús, judging by the smirk on that defiant face of yours, were aware of this, no doubt.
“I must reminisce about the time I called you a fascinating mortal,” he began, slowly advancing toward her while covering Medusa’s head.
Charisma tried to stand tall, her shoulder taken back and her chin up as she gazed at the god, but there was a burning tension creeping behind her eyes. Maintaining eye contact without a break, her pupils grew larger while she compulsively picked at the dry skin on her lips.
Endeavoring to maintain a confident demeanor while facing your possible death.
If I would’ve had a heart, it would’ve got out to you in this very moment, Charisma Sinclair.
“Yet you proved to be a fool,” Zeus stated, briefly halting in front of her, his presence overshadowing her diminutive form. “In this scenario, how should a god such as myself deal with a fool like you?”
Charisma’s eyes widened, taking in the horrific tableau of her colleagues, their forms frozen in stone.
Her frame gave a slight, involuntary jerk, which Shadow interpreted as a fleeting internal wince at the thought of helping the other mortals.
Wisely, she refrained from making any moves, acutely aware of Zeus’s unwavering attention.
A tear traced a path down Charisma’s cheek, making its way to her tightly clenched jaw before falling to the ground.
With her hands trembling and fingers fumbling around the staff, she seemed to no longer be present.
It seemed as if she was reconsidering her choices now that the plan she had agreed to was doomed for failure.
“What is the matter, fascinating human? Has perhaps . . .” he cut through the silence, pausing briefly as he subtly sniffed somewhere behind Charisma’s back. “A shadow got your tongue?” he added, his smirk that was already curling his lips turning into a mischievous one.
Bringing my name into this matter will not make you seem more intriguing, basileú. It will only cast you as a foolish man lacking confidence in his own actions.
Pathetic.
Charisma’s lips remained pressed in a firm line, and when her gaze eventually met his, her eyes briefly flickered while her hands clenched into fists.
Despite the impassive mask she tried to maintain, Shadow sensed a silent scream, while her need for revenge was exposed by the shallow, measured breaths she took.
Zeus stated, “If you choose not to speak now, you will be forced to speak later.” And with a quick gesture, he bound her wrists, causing her to drop the staff.
With a snarl, he watched it hit the ground, and just before he could grasp Charisma’s arm, he took the relic and vanished it from sight.
Shadow couldn’t help but observe the mortal’s skin.
The absence of any black markings, which had previously been spreading across her hands, served as evidence that Charon’s bits of power had entirely vanished from her body.
“Let me go,” she growled between gritted teeth, but it only made him laugh at her.
“I will,” he replied and tightened his hold as she began to struggle against him. “My decision hinges on whether I do this while you are alive or just before your body begins to rot.”
Something in Shadow’s void pushed him to get closer to them, noticing how Charisma stopped trying to get away from Zeus.
She locked her eyes on him, her fists loosening as she gave in.
He felt as though she had not yet accepted her death—and that encouraged his hope that she was going to fight for her life.
“Skiá, I require another favor of you. Find out who brought this mortal into this lethal plan and tell them I have taken her,” he commanded, and Charisma immediately turned her head as if searching for Shadow.
“Should they beg for further details as I suspect they will, tell them just to observe our world,” he continued, only pausing briefly as he darted his gaze toward her bonding mark.
“That will, indeed, reveal whether she’s alive or dead. ”
Zeus vanished with Charisma with incredible speed, much like the instantaneous enlightenment provided by his thunderbolt as it lit up the depiction of the Underworld.
The divine realm had nearly been destroyed at one point, when heartbreak had occurred for the god who kept the balance of love and happiness in order.
If he were to notice her death, then we will all perish.
What have you done, basileús?
As the Underworld’s spectacle subsided after Zeus’s trickery, Shadow watched Artemis and Hades shed the stony facade they’d been trapped in. A sharp, echoing crack filled the air as the stone fell from their heads, then continued from their arms, and finished on shedding from their legs.
“I swear, I’ll tear my father apart with my bare hands!” Artemis let out a shout the moment her body settled back to its original state.
Hades cleared his throat as he brushed the stone debris off his costume. “Refrain from pursuing aspirations that are beyond reach.”
“I truly can’t grasp why you’re so concerned about him,” she added, her voice growing as she ran towards the errors. “Actually, don’t bother trying to explain that to me. Come and lend me a hand to get them to a safe location. We need to figure out how to revive them.”
This marks a positive update for the current day. Hopefully.